Appearances

When I was a young teacher I taught a sixth grade Science class. One boy came in each day and sat on the floor under a table, while all the other students sat at desks.  Probably, today he would be diagnosed as autistic or something similar.  I let him be. I saw no reason to force him to sit at a desk. He didn't take notes and did not ask questions or participate in discussion.  He wouldn't make eye contact but he would say hello and good-bye when I addressed him each day.

After a few weeks of that Science unit I gave a test. He scored 97%, highest in the class.

As humans we make lots of assumptions based on appearances. This causes us to think that we understand someone or that we know what is best for them.  We don't.  I don't know what happened to that boy, but I suspect he taught me more than I taught him.

William Frank Diedrich, author of
Adults at Work, and Beyond Blaming,
available at http://noblaming.com